In the quest to pursue a healthier lifestyle, 34-year-old Franklin Leal, a Mexican journalist living in Texas, felt attracted to an offer promoted by the local Gold's Gym. He finally made the choice to join the gym because they have locations all over the U.S. and since he travels for work a lot, it seemed like the best option to keep a consistent exercising routine. He proceeded to call the branch in Austin, Texas, since he was there at the time, to let them know he was on his way to get information about the packages they were offering and get a tour of all the amenities.
Franklin Leal was born in Mexico and moved to the United States ten years ago. He has lived in Miami, Phoenix and most recently, McAllen, Texas. He's been a journalist for over 16 years and has worked for major networks such as Univisión, Galavisión in Miami, and now collaborates on a Telemundo McAllen independent production. He visited Austin, Texas to do some interviews, and check out the place since he's moving there soon, but his visit turned very unpleasant.
Leal arrived to the Gold's Gym location on Congress Avenue and 6th Street with a female friend, and waited in line as the clerk was addressing another costumer's issues. While they were waiting, Leal felt the need to use the facilities and he proceeded to do so. A few seconds later, an employee enters the restroom and tells the journalist that those aren't public restrooms and he can't use them.
"When we were waiting in the lobby you can see the restrooms, so my common sense tells me if I go to check a service, I can use the restroom. So I went in because there was no sign saying I can't use it or that it was just for members only," said Leal exclusively to Latin Times.
"I went in and a few seconds later one of the employees, Eric Garner, goes inside and tells me that I can't use the bathroom because those aren't publics restrooms. So I told him I was there to get information and that my friend was outside. I was already using the facilities, so what are you gonna do? Then he left the restroom," he added.
Franklin Leal accounts that when he came out of the restroom, he saw his friend leaving and stopped her because they still hadn't got the information they were looking for. His friend told him that she couldn't tolerate that kind of treatment because Victoria Cain, the clerk, sent Garner to check up on Leal after voicing her concerns with him being a Latino. "They come here and steal things," Cain allegedly said, referring to the gym's souvenirs and memorabilia that decorate the front desk.
Nevertheless, Leal apologized to Garner after he saw all the commotion. "I told the guy 'I'm sorry I didn't tell u I was to use the restroom, but what do you want me to do? Pee on the lobby?'"
"We never got any info about the membership because they just made a profile based on our looks. We were the only two brown-skinned people in the lobby," explained Leal, adding, "Also, we were accused of being thieves. After all that situation I was in shock and we left. They didn't say 'I'm sorry' and we didn't see the gym or got any info about the memberships. They never tried to apologize and approach us like new potential customers."
After the unfortunate incident, Leal contacted the general manager, Steve Johnson, to explain what had happened. "He just said 'I'm sorry you felt that way' and again, he didn't offer to show me the gym or tried to give me any information about the services they provide."
After his unsuccessful meeting with the general manager, Leal proceeded to contact the corporate office. "I talked to a lady under the name of Carolina Ramírez, one of the customer service care of Gold's Gym corp. in Irving, Texas. She apologized and told me I need to send a letter examining the situation with names to take actions and start an internal investigation in that location."
"I feel the responsibility to let people know than this kind of situations aren't good for anybody because no one deserves to be humiliated and discriminated like they did with my and my friend," concluded Leal.
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